Articles for tag: Casey Tygrett

April 10, 2019

Christian Standard

Pastor Donates Kidney to Church Member (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Chris Moon and Jim Nieman A Christian church pastor in Virginia donated a kidney to a member of his church. James “Beaver” Terry, pastor of Belmont Christian Church in Christiansburg, Va., gave his kidney to church member Eric Nowlin, whose health was failing after years on dialysis, according to the Roanoke Times. Terry first considered donating his kidney to Nowlin while reading Bob Goff’s Everybody Always, which challenges Christians to help those in need—even if it means giving up one of your kidneys. The more Terry looked into the idea, the more things fell into place. A key factor was his blood type—A

May 23, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

Failure, Formation, and a Hopeful Future

By Mark A. Taylor It”s a principle of leadership whose impact we may not have grasped for our spiritual lives: failure is often the prelude to success. In fact great success may not happen unless it”s built on a foundation of failure. In a way, this is nothing new. We know about Thomas Edison”s thousands of efforts to find a filament for the electric light bulb. “I have not failed,” he said. “I”ve just found 10,000 ways that won”t work.” History teachers tell us how Abraham Lincoln suffered defeat after defeat only to rise to greatness. Others describe J.C. Penney”s

January 19, 2017

Christian Standard

Out of Network

By Tim Harlow My best advice for your ministry: share the Spirit. So Moses . . . brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the tent. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. . . . However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. . . . Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. A young man ran and

November 28, 2016

Christian Standard

A Different View of the Oppressed

By Casey Tygrett   Oppressed. What does that word evoke for you? I typed oppression into Google, clicked Search, and it returned 36.5 million results. There is a lot being said about oppression. And Scripture says much about oppression, too. In fact, the word oppression appears nearly 4,500 times there. The first Bible story about oppression details the plight of the Israelites in Egypt and the beautifully momentous exodus that set them loose to chase the everlasting land and the everlasting covenant under the everlasting God. It”s a wonderful story, but it begins with oppression. To Be Helpless, to Be

March 7, 2016

Christian Standard

I Look to Stay

By Casey Tygrett In 2007, I encountered a book that changed my life. The book was Hannah Coulter, a novel by Wendell Berry. I had previously read a Berry poem called “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front.” With a title like that, how could you forget? In fact, one line stays with me even today: “Praise ignorance, for what man has not encountered he has not destroyed.” Even with that poem in mind, I wasn”t prepared for Hannah Coulter. The characters, the life, the unspoken but ever present faith””Berry”s book drew me in, and I couldn”t put it down. Once

February 8, 2016

Christian Standard

How Jesus Did Theology

By Casey Tygrett Jesus didn”t give us words about God. He lived as the Word of God. What does that show us about what impact God”s words should demonstrate in our lives? When I was a kid, I had an uncanny resemblance to my dad. Our facial structures, mannerisms, and senses of humor were so closely aligned that the folks in my small hometown knew whose I was before they knew who I was. They looked at me””my long angular nose and the way my eyebrows elevated and separated when I spoke””and they saw my father from years past. There

October 15, 2015

Christian Standard

The Problem with Swearing

“Let your “˜yes” be “˜yes” and your “˜no” be “˜no.”” What was Jesus saying, and what does it mean to our own quest for integrity? By Casey Tygrett Why is integrity lacking in the church? I don”t believe it comes from not knowing certain sacred doctrines. The great issue is a spiritual formation problem because the formation of the Spirit of Christ within us should shape the action of the Spirit of Christ outside of us. Integrity comes from our mind shifting, our motivations being redirected, and our actions following suit. Jesus speaks about integrity in a passage I have

July 16, 2015

Christian Standard

Casey Tygrett’s Thought Leaders

We asked 35 Christian leaders, “Who is the influencer with the biggest impact on your life and ministry?” Most of these leaders listed several influential thinkers, writers, innovators, and leaders more of us should get to know. This response is from Casey Tygrett, spiritual formation pastor with Parkview Christian Church, Orland Park, Illinois. ________ Neal Windham, professor of spiritual formation at Lincoln (Illinois) Christian University and Seminary, is a mentor, friend, and a true gift to know. Neal has a way of speaking about spiritual formation that is biblically thorough and paired with a deep sensitivity to what it means to be

May 7, 2015

Christian Standard

Growing Deeper

By Jennifer Johnson A look at how some growing churches are growing in ways difficult to measure but vital to achieve. ____ Jason Yeatts Executive minister, adults The Creek, Indianapolis, Indiana In our movement, I think the habits of the early 19th century are ingrained””that discipleship means giving people the right material or sermon. At The Creek, we have made an intentional shift from “informational discipleship” to a relational model. Four years ago we started a series of four classes called “Life on Life.” The idea was you”d move through them””from Belong to Grow to Serve to Engage””and be ready

February 8, 2015

Christian Standard

What Would Jesus Do (with My Sex Life)?

By Casey Tygrett Some won”t at first be comfortable with the question. But those who want to live more like Jesus will always think about Jesus at the same time they think about sex. It is something that”s enjoyable, even when it”s difficult or awkward. It can be enjoyed on every continent, in every country, in any place and””with a few exceptions””at any time. It involves all the senses, exploding into brilliant concert together at just the right moment. Some would say it is a God-given right, and discourage efforts to prevent it or regulate it. Some, of course, take

January 25, 2015

Christian Standard

What Makes a Church Healthy?

By Casey Tygrett If you go to Amazon”s website and type “church health” into the search field, I guarantee it will generate more results than you have time to explore. Church health is more than a topic; it is a market, because in many places churches are in crisis. Writing this article has required me to do some honest digging and soul-searching, because at the core of the question “What makes a church healthy?” is this reality: I am the church . . . you are the church . . . and we are unhealthy.  And I have a harsh

September 16, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

A Choice, Not a Prayer Request

By Mark A. Taylor I”ve written before about a friend in ministry who was dealing with some difficult people. “Why don”t you show them why they need to approach this problem in a different way?” I asked her. “Because people don”t change,” she said. “My telling them another way is better won”t make any difference. They”re going to do this the way they want to do it, not the way I say they should.” If she”s right, how do we ever see change happen? At least a part of the answer comes in the excellent essays by Casey Tygrett  and

September 7, 2014

Christian Standard

To Lead Change You Must Be Changed

By Casey Tygrett If you have ever traveled via commercial airliner, you might be vaguely aware of the preflight safety talk. It”s something most people completely ignore, even though it could save your life and possibly others. The flight attendants tell you, “First put on your oxygen mask and then assist others.” My favorite flight was the one in which the flight attendant recommended we first put our mask on, and then put a mask on “the child most likely to pay for your retirement.” The directions may at first seem selfish and uncaring. However, if you have ever experienced

July 29, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

Speaking the Truth, Showing the Truth

By Mark A. Taylor Today I”m remembering insights about faith-sharing in last month”s Beyond the Standard online interview. Plan to tune-in to this month”s discussion, “Ministry Today” with CHRISTIAN STANDARD columnist Eddie Lowen, this Thursday, July 31, 11 a.m. Eastern. My eye fell on a small tract, propped against the mirror on the shelf above the sink in the public restroom I was using. “Where Will You Spend Eternity?” the leaflet asked. And I remembered my own tract-distributing phase many decades ago. On one occasion, with fevered prayers, I had slipped a salvation tract into the magazine pocket behind the

June 21, 2014

Christian Standard

This Is MY Story

By Casey Tygrett I remember walking through the double doors onto the well-worn rose carpet of our church”s foyer. There were smiling people wearing suits and ties, or at least dress shirts, and the smell of perfume was strong enough to cause numbness if you inhaled too deeply. Two handle-free, faux-walnut doors swung open into a wood and white sanctuary. Inside, we sang familiar melodies with well-worn lyrics: “This is my story, this is my song.” “I heard an old, old story, how a Savior came from glory.” Then we heard about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And Jesus, who stepped

April 9, 2014

Christian Standard

Praying by Design

By Casey Tygrett My research has convinced me of this: When our experience and temperament interact with the presence of God, something very special happens. When I”m teaching people how to pray, often they ask me, “What do I say?” In other words, people want to know what “counts” when it comes to prayer. What is prayer and what isn”t prayer? It isn”t a silly question, but it can be difficult to answer as we look at all the different kinds of prayer in the Bible. We have selfish prayers like those of Pharaoh (Exodus 8:8), sacrificial prayers like those

March 24, 2014

Christian Standard

The Spirituality of Shutting Up

By Casey Tygrett We may hear those who speak to us from different theological platforms. But have we really learned to listen to them? If not, we may be missing the most spiritual thing we can do when confronted by those with whom we disagree. The conductor steps to the platform. His back is firm and straight, posture perfect, and he lifts the baton gently into the air. The musicians with their instruments wait for the moment and the motion to begin the performance. The musician”s score contains different parts, but all the performers are pointed toward one pinnacle””the sweeping moment

February 9, 2013

Christian Standard

Living in Rhythm with Jesus

By Casey Tygrett Let”s face it. We can”t dance. Most of us, anyway. Perhaps you are one of the chosen few who can actually dance, but that takes rhythm. And the kind of rhythm involved in dancing is a gift I was not blessed with. There is no rhythm in this overcommitted and under-paused culture, either. But Jesus offers a solution for that. The rhythm we create for ourselves is fragile and broken and built on selfish foundations that turn and fade with the seasons of our lives. It”s not that our seasons aren”t important, but when we travel the

February 5, 2013

Christian Standard

Spiritual Formation””Defining the Terms

By Casey Tygrett   Abide Abide is the central word in Jesus” teaching on the vine and the branches in John 15. It is a key teaching because it emphasizes our need to remain in the life, teachings, and transforming presence of Jesus throughout our lives. A life of abiding is key to Christian spiritual formation. Abiding can be a form of prayer in which a person concentrates on just being with God without needing to make requests or even use words. Abiding is a key concept to spiritual formation because it essentially is the “base camp” out of which

February 3, 2013

Christian Standard

Growing Like a Garden

By Casey Tygrett I remember the first time I planted seeds to make a garden. I tilled. I prepared the soil. I planted. I watered. I waited. Eventually, things began to grow, and I had a chance to watch the plants mature each day. It was a series of holy moments. I cannot think of a better metaphor to help describe Christian spiritual formation. The planting of the seed of the kingdom of God in our hearts through salvation, and cultivating that seed through habits and disciplines produces spiritual fruit. This is a great way of explaining Christian spiritual formation.

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